The First New Question

The First New Question

Through my day job, I recently had the chance to work with Angela Blanchard, the former head of BakerRipley here in Houston and an expert in community development. Angela is a big believer in appreciative inquiry: an approach that recognizes and builds on strengths...
Research as Creative Practice

Research as Creative Practice

Eudora Welty once said, “Always be sure you get your moon in the right part of the sky.” That was always how I thought of research. Research was fact-checking. Research was stagnant. There was nothing creative about it.  My approach changed ten...
Bring on the Architect

Bring on the Architect

My March 2021 newsletter just went out to subscribers. To sign up, click here. This Wednesday night (March 24th), I’m teaching a virtual class on nonfiction book proposals. For a lot of people, writing a book proposal probably feels a lot like doing your taxes:...
Day by Day

Day by Day

My February 2021 newsletter just went out to subscribers. To sign up, click here. When my memoir came out a few years ago, I did an inventory of all the writing projects I could focus on. I had a bunch of essays in various stages of development, the first draft of a...